High-speed contactor



A. L. HOLCOMB EI'AL Sept. 2, 1952 HIGH-SPEED CONTACTOR 2 SHEETS-Sl-IEET 1 Filed Dec. 13, 1950 FIG.

FIG. 2

A. L.HOLCOM8 MENTOR; MA LEAV/TT ATTORNEY Sept. 2, 1952 Filed Dec. 13, 1950 A. HOLCOMB Er/u,

HIGH-SPEED CONTACTOR ,4. L. HOLCOMB MALEAl/H'T AT TOPA/FV II which encompass between them the enclosed g i I ber 4, communicating with the cavity 45.

chamber of the contactor. This enclosed chamber is bounded by a long ring or sleeve I2, a short ring I3 surrounding the upper end of the long i,

ring I2, and upper and lower plates I4 and I5.

ter of the upper plate I4 and to the upper spider I'D,- as by the screw I1, and a cup-shaped member I9 is secured to the center of the lower plate l5, as by the screw 20. The contact between the rings I2 and I3 is sealedby a asket 2I which may advantageously be of a rubber-like silicone material known commercially as Silastic. A plurality of bolts 23 extending between the spiders II] and II and associated nuts 24 serve tomaintain the rings I2 and I3 in sealed engagement. I

As the spiders II and I2 are external to th enclosed chamber they will not come into contact with the liquid conductor, which may advantageously be mercury, though other liquid conductors-known in the art may be employed. ,The spiders may therefore be of a light metal, such as aluminum or magnesium, to reduce the overall weight of the ccntactor. The rings I2 and I3 and the cup-shaped members It and i9 may advantageously be of steel and the plates I4 and I5 of stainless steel sheet stock, secured to the rings and cup-shaped members, as'by welding thereto to hermetically seal the enclosed chamber.

The-lower cup-shaped member I9 serves as a bearing housing for bearing rings 26 and 21 and bearings 28. Thebearing ring 25 is secured to the member I9 while the bearing ring 21 is attached to a depending portion of a flat circular rotor-'29 of relative large diameter. The rotor 29 together with a stator ring 30 and stator winding 3I comprise the drive mechanism for the high speed contactor. This drive mechanism may advantageously be, as shown, a hysteresis type synchronous motor with the rotor inside the sealed chamber and the stator outside the chamber, the stator ring and stator; windings 3-I- being supported by the lower spider I I. As stainless steel sheet is substantially non-magnetic and presents a high resistance to eddy currents, the presence of the plate I5, which is advantageously of that material, in the air gap does not produce serious shielding or losses. The stator may be wound for any desired number of poles, phases, or voltages.

At the periphery of the rotor 29 is a ring 33 cut to present vanes 34 extending radially out from the rotor. These vanes extend into a complementarily formed channel in a channel ring 36, which is secured to the ring l2 and is positionedon the plate I5. This channel ring 36 may advantageously be of cast iron and has a plur'ality of grooves 37 cut therethrough and extending into the channel adjacent the vanes 34. Each of these grooves receives, adjacent the top o'f'the ring'channel 36,'the lower end of a reforming therewith a large cavity 45. tube 46 having a flanged upper end 4! extends 4 turn tube 38 which connects to the upper cupshaped member l6, extending through apertures 39 in that cup-shaped member.

The upper cup-shaped member I6 also serves as a bearing housing for bearing rings 4I and 42 and bearings 43, the bearing ring'4I being secured to the member I5 and the bearing ring 42 to a hollow member 44 seated on the rotor 29 and A short from the interior of the cup-shaped member IE to the cavity 45. Two oppositely positioned nozzles 49 extend out radially from the hollow mem- An" insulating contact support member 5|, which,may.:advantageously be a pressed glass ring, is attached to the channel ring 35 and extends atan angle towards the nozzles 49. As best seen in Figs. 3 and 5, the support member 5| has a plurality of grooves 52 cut or ground into it. In the embodiment disclosed, a pair of contacts 53 and 54 are positioned in every fourth groove, the intervening grooves being empty. Referring again to Fig. 5, each of the contacts 53 and 54 comprises a contact surface 55 which fits in a slight depression 56 in the groove 52, a contact post 57 extending through an aperture 58 in the support member 5I, a conical washer 59 attached to the post 51, as by being pressed on, and a retaining spring 69 between the washer 59 and the support member 5 I. The contacts 53 and 54, may, however, be mounted in position on the support member 5i in-other ways, such as by being fused thereto. f 2

Each of the contacts 53 advantageously has a lead 52 brought separately through the shell of the enclosed chamber by extending through insulating terminal beads 63, as of glass or Fusite, positioned in apertures 64 in the ring I2. may all beinternally connected together by a conducting ring 65 secured to each of the contacts 54 with only one lead 66 being brought out through a glass or other insulating terminal bead 5i as the external connection for each of the description, it being understood that this-inven-- tion is not to be considered aslimited to any particular liquid conductor. As soon as rotation of therotor starts the mercury is forced by centrifugal action to the periphery of the rotor 29- where the vanes 34 throw or force 'it into the channel in the channel ring 36 and into the grooves 31 extending through the ring 36. These grooves act as scoops to trap the mercury thrown into the channel by the rotor vanes 34;' The mer cury thus is actuated by a centrifugal pump and forced through the grooves 31 into the return tubes 38, the cup-shaped member I6, and through the short tube 55 into the rotor'cavity 45. Small apertures 12 are provided inthe flanged end 41 of the tube as and'small apertures as in the hollow member 44 adjacent the bearings 43 to allow asmall amount of mercury to pass through the bearing as a lubricant. Similarly a small amount As shown in Figs. 1 and 3 the contacts 54 Referring. now to Fig.

ino'nly a single nozzle is employed, the contacts are spaced in alternativegrooves, the on and ofi grooves-being ofdifierent depths however, and only a single contact is provided in each on" groove,- the connection thus established by the stream of mercury being between the contact and a lead extending into the mercury-pool at thebottomof the container. '-As shown Fig. 6,

Gthere is shown another illustrative embodiment-of this invention wherethe contactor comprises a glass container I and a matin-gconcave glass top 16; the two being sealed bya ringgasket 1-1,- which may be of a rubber-like silicone material'known commercial 1y as Silastic, anda steel spring 'I-B. The adjacent surfaces ofthe glass container T5 and glass top "I6 maybe ground and lapped toprovide a fit sufficiently tight, when forced together by the spring I8, that the ring gasket-Titian be dispehsedwith. The contacts 19 are advantageously di'sp'osed'in a circle about the top I6 and fused directly thereto as described further below.

A spider support SI having an outer ring portion 82 and arms 83 is supported in the container, the ring'portion 82 being between the contamer I5 and the top'lB. The support '8! serves to'support the upper end of a hollow rotatable shaft 84 by bearing rings 85 and bearings 86 between the'rings. The lower end or the shaft is also supported through bearing rings 81 and bearings 88 by a conical baffle 90 which is supported ffromthe base of the container 15 by a plurality of'support members or straps SI, ex-' dially out from the outer periphery of'the con-' tainer 15. These ribs 9 6 are hollow and advantageously have tubes 91 secured therein, as discussed further below.

The upper end of the hollow shaft 84 basescured thereto, or formed integral therewith, a

disc 99"having a single channel I00 drilled or otherwise provided therein communicating with the hollow shaft 84. This channel IUD is advantageously narrowed at its outer end IOI and is the single nozzle of the cont-actor. if desired additional channels can be provided in the disc 99 for additional nozzles.- Further a single hollow shaft may be employed in place of thedisc 99; however, :a rotating disc provides greater rotational stability. The lower endof the shaft 84 carries a vane or impeller I53 around which'is placed a spiral tube IM having an open end and communicating with the hollow shaft 84.

The tubes 91, which may advantageously be of polyethylene or other tubing pressed into the hollow ribs 9-6, have secured thereto a cylindrical sleeve I35 to which is attached a planar disc baffle I05 slightly separated from coplanar disc baffles m1 carried by the Sher-1; so just below the rotor 93. The sleeve I05 has also secured thereto a disc I08 secured to the conical baiiie 9c and outer bearing ring 81 and thus aiding in su'pporting the lower end of the shaft 84. The disc I08 advantageously has a plurality of apertures:

I09 therethroush.

Of course,

In operation, rotation of'the shaft '84 andtlie impeller H33 in the proper direction forces the mercury I I2 or other liquid conduct-or situated in the pool atthe bottom of the container below the disc I08 into the-spiral tube I04 and thus through the hollow shaft 84, the channel I00 m fused directly to the top, as by glass beads-I I5.

A cut-01f groove H5 is positioned between each of the contact grooves to assure definite and positive separation of the mercury stream in itsfro tation from-one contact to the next, thus preventing short circuiting between adjacent contacts as explained above. The cut-01f grooves I I6 may advantageously be shallower than the contact grooves I'M, the depth of the grooves being sufficient howeyer'to insure apositive cut-' off of the mercury stream;

The end portions of the contacts 79 in thercontact grooves II 4' are advantageously treated to I provide a 'surface'we'tted by mercury so that the passing mercurystream can become momentari-" 1y cornmon'with the" retained mercury on the contact and thus with the contact. While an L-shaped wire has beenshown as the contact in the grooves II4 j it is to be understood'that contacts similar to contacts 53 and 54 of the embodiment of Fig. 1' or other contacts can be em-i ployed. Similarly contactors inkaccordance with this invention are notto'be considered as limited in the relative proportions of cut-o-if grooves. h

The mercury stream on being momentarily joined to the contact. I9 establishes contact between the upper portion'of the wire external ',to the contactor'and a metallic lead II'I extending the contact and centrally through thej'ba'se of thecontainer' I 5 and at all times in contact with the mercury pool H2 and thus with the 'nier-curystream' emit-, ted from the 'nozzle. The lead II'I- may'advam tageously be'connectedto a central or common circuit and each of the'co'ntact wires 19 toIsep-f arate'fcircuits which it is desired to connect 'to the central circuit in succession in a rapid sequenc'e.

The stream afterpassing the contacts 19 is diverted downward by the end of the grcoves H4.

A small amount of the mercury falls onto the. arms 33 of the spider support 3i which have I channels II'B on their upper surfaces to conduct this small amount of mercury to the ball bearings" and 86 to serve as a lubricant therefor.- This small amount of mercury is then thrown back to the outer walls of the container '15 by a slinger I I9 carried by the rotating shaft 84v just below the spider support 8I. The greater part of the mercury however falls against a conical baffle I 2I which is supported the spider support arms 83. 'I2I prevents the mercury from f'alling'on-to the motor rotor 93 and conducts it instead to the hollow ribs 96 of the container 15 and through the tubes 91 positioned therein back to the-common pool at the base of the container. The

tubes 9! form seats for steel balls I 23 which float in the mercury pool and serve as check valves. on tilting of thecontainendThe balls I23 are.-.

by straps I22 from This conical'bafile 9 zreta'tlned adjacent the'tubes 91 in'the hollow 'ribs sfi by -the sleeve=I05. "Thus if a contactor in acimldancdWith "this embodiment of this invenj Ztion isemployed aboard aship, sudden positional change "due to the pitch :and'roll of the ship "will not 'cause the mercury to "be thrown out of the lower p-cl.-Additionally-, the disc I08 deflnes a chamber for the mercury pool, serving both to prevent mercury from the pool splashing -ionto' the rotor and 'also'as a trap for longp-eri- *o'ds of inclinations, the apertures- I89 being atthe center of the disc adjacent the shaft. The lowerconical bafiie 90 acts as "a'shroud completelyi-surrounding the lower end of the shaft '84- and "the'zimpeller 103 to prevent motion of the im- :ipcller103being transmitted to the main body of nnercury. 'The shroud or bafile 90 is advantageouslyshapedso that as the mercury is accel- 'eratedby the "rotation of the impeller the cen- ,trifugal action tends to hold it in the scoop'path *oi'the open tube I04. The shroudior baffle 90 thereby *anoidsundesirable turbulence and centrifugalaction in the main pool of mercury.

JIt'ist-obe understood that the above-described ,"arrangements are illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Numerous other arrangements may be devised by *those skilled in. the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

, "What is claimed is: g "1.,A highspeed contactor comprising :a' vessel, vaJliqni'd.conductor within said vessel, means in- ,,-siilatingly. supporting a plurality of closely .-:spaced electrical contacts within said vessel, ,means-Qfor propelling said liquid conductor :againstsai'd contacts sequentially, and barrier means withinv said vessel and projecting .beltweenadjacent contacts,,preventing said liquid conductor from .contactingany two adjacent sequential electrical contacts at the same time.

2. A high speed contactor comprising a vessel, 2. .liquid conductor within said vessel, support means havinga surface within said vessel having a plurality of ridges and grooves therein, electrical contacts positioned in'some of said grooves and insulated from each other, and means for -propelling said liquid conductor along said surface and against said contacts sequentially, each of said contacts 'beingseparated from the adjacent contact in sequence by at least one of said v:grooves.

3. A high speed contactor comprising a vessel, insulating means having a surface within said vessel, a plurality of closely spaced contacts supported by said surface, a liquid conductor within said vessel, means within said vessel for propelling said liquid conductor against the exposed inner face of said contacts sequentially, and. cutoff means between said contacts preventing said liquid conductor making connection to two adjacent sequential contacts, said cut-oh" means comprising grooves in said insulating means intermediate said adjacent contacts.

4. A high speed contactor comprising a vessel, a liquid conductor within said vessel, insulating means having a surface within said vessel and having a plurality of closely spaced grooves in a circular boundary in said surface, electrical contacts supported by said insulating means and positioned in some of said grooves, and means for propelling said liquid conductor against said contacts sequentially in the form of a jet, said jet, contacts and grooves being of comparable width, each of said contacts being separated 1'0 from-the adjacent sequentiali contact-by:at least one of said grooves.

5.A high speed contactor comprising a'vess'el, support means within said" vessel and having a plurality of closely spaced grooves-alignedin a circular row therein, electrical contacts supported by said support'means and positioned'in some' of said grooves, said contacts being insulate'd from each other, a liquid conductor withinsaid vessel, and means within said vessel for ejecting said fluid-along said circular row arsentacts and substantially perpendicular thereto and directly against the exposed face of each contact, each of :said'contacts being-separated from the adjacent conta'ct along said" r-OW by at least one of said grooves.

6. A high speed contactor comprising a vessel, a liquid conductor therein, support meansaaving'a circular inner periphery within said vessel and aplurality of closely spaced grooves 'ins'aid inner periphery and-perpendicular to the plane thereof, electrical contactsmounted in-a"r"ow by sai'd support means and positioned in some o'fsai d grooves, a rotatable nozzle within said vessel and havingan orifice adjacent said inner'periph'ery, and means for ejecting said liquid conductor from saidnozzle in the form of a jet parallel'to'thfe 'plane'of rotation of said nozzleand'againstthe exposed face of said contacts, each of said contacts being separated from the adjacent contact 'alongsaid row by at least'one ofsaidgrooves, I

t 7. A high speed contactor in accordan'cewith claim-6 wherein said'contacts are located in said some grooves in 'pairs whereby connection is of each pair of'contacts.

10. A high speed contactor comprising'a vessel, insulating means having a circular inner periphery, said inner periphery having a pluralityof closely spaced grooves thereinperpendicularl to the plane thereof, e1ectrical jcori'ta'cts supported in a row by said insulating means a'nd p'ositioned some of said grooves, a liquid conductor within said. vessel, and -means withinv said fvessellfor propelling said fluid along the row of said contacts and substantially perpendicular thereto, each of said contacts being separated from the adjacent contact along said row by at least one of said grooves, and each of said grooves having contacts therein, said grooves and contacts being contoured to present cooperatively a smooth surface to said propelled liquid.

11. A high speed contactor comprising a vessel, a liquid conductor within said vessel, a, flat disc defining a rotor rotatably supported within said vessel, a cooperating stator external to said vessel, an insulating ring within said vessel having a plurality of closely spaced grooves therein, electrical contacts positioned in some of said grooves, a nozzle rotatable with said rotor, and means including said rotor and said stator for circulating said liquid conductor in said vessel and for ejecting said liquid conductor against said contacts, each of said contacts being separated from said adjacent contact along said ring by at least one of said grooves.

12. A high speed contactor in accordance with claim 11 wherein each of said grooves having a contact therein has a depression therein, said contact fitting into said depression, said contact andsaid groove presenting a smooth surface to said ejected liquid conductor.

ducting ring encompasses said insulating ring on the other side thereof from said grooves, one of each of said pairs of contacts being con- .nected to said ring and the other of each of said pairs of contacts having a lead brought out through said enclosed vessel.

14. A high speed rotary contactor comprising a vessel, a liquid conductor within said vessel, a

rotatable flat rotor within said vessel, a plurality of vanes extending radially from the periphery of ,said rotor, a complementary stator external to said rotor and defining therewith a motor for rotating said rotor, a hollow member aflixed to said rotor and defining a rotor cavity therewith, a nozzle communicating wtih said cavity and extending radially therefrom, an insulating ring coaxial with said rotor and adjacent the path of said nozzle, said ring having therein a plurality of grooves adjacent said nozzle, and electrical contacts in some of said grooves, each of said contacts being separated from the adjacent contact around said ring by at least one of said grooves, a channel ring adjacent said vanes and complementary therewith, said insulating ring being supported on said channel ring, said channel ring having grooves therein, and a plurality of return tubes extending into said channel ring grooves and adapted'to return said liquid conductor from said channel ring to said cavity after it has been ejected from said nozzle against said contacts. I

15. A high speed contactor comprising a vessel, said vessel having an insulating top, said top having therein a plurality of closely spaced grooves situated in a circle around the periphery of said top within said vessel, electrical contacts situated in some of said grooves, a liquid conductor within said vessel, and means for propelling said liquid conductor against said contacts, each of said contacts being separated from the adjacent contact around said circle by at least one of said grooves.

16. A high speed contactor comprising a vessel, said vessel having an insulating top, said top having therein a plurality of closely spaced deep grooves situated in a circle around the periphery of said top within said vessel, electrical contacts situated in said deep grooves, a shallow groove situated in said top between each of said deep grooves, a liquid conductor Within said vessel, and means for propelling said liquid conductor against said electrical contacts.

17. A high speed contactor comprising a vessel, said vessel having a glass top, said top having therein a plurality of closely spaced grooves situated in a circle around the periphery of said top within said vessel, electrical contacts within said grooves and having leads extending through said top, said leads being fused to said top, a liquid conductor within said vessel, a hollow shaft rotatably supported within said vessel, a nozzle communicating with said hollow shaft, and means for rotating said hollow shaft and ejecting said liquid conductor from said nozzle against said contacts, each of said contacts being separated from the adjacent contact around said circle by at least one of said grooves.

18. A high speed contactor comprising a container, a glass top for said container, said top having therein a plurality of grooves located in a circle, electrical contacts in some of said grooves, adjacent electrical contacts being separated by at least one of said grooves, a support spider in said container, a hollow shaft supported by said spider, said spider having channels therein leading towards said shaft, a nozzle connected to said hollow shaft and extending adjacent said contacts, a first conical baflie supported from said spider, a plurality of tubes extending from said bailie towards the base of said container, a liquid conductor in said container, an impeller and open spiral tube at the base of said. hollow shaft, said tube communicating with said hollow shaft, a second conical baflle surrounding said impeller and spiral tube, and motor means for rotating said shaft to cause said liquid conductor to be ejected from said nozzle.

ARTHUR L. HOLCOMB. MINARD A. LEAV'ITI.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Widakowich g: July 6, 1948 Number 

